Ziru Yai, the birthplace of yage
For more than thirty years, ZiruYai has been dedicated to conserving the jungle and sharing the ancestral wisdom of America's sacred plants with the world.
We care for and respect the ancient tradition of these medicines and ceremonies for the healing and evolution of humanity.
Yage, or ayahuasca, is a sacred medicine from the Amazon rainforest. ZiruYai holds traditional retreats within the ancestral community of licensed Taitas from the authorized lineages of Colombia. It includes elders from two Indigenous lineages and holders of traditional training who have dedicated their whole lives to the study and use of this medicine.
A unique aspect of our retreats is that they are conducted within the primary Amazon jungle. Nature enhances, and makes more authentic the connection with medicine. Participating in our retreats also enhances our ability to preserve this forest and is connected with the traditional curation of medicine.
The family
We are a family that grew up on the path of Sacred Plants. For more than 26 years, we have been caring for ancestral ceremonies, which are ancient ways of healing and connection with creation. This sacred plant has accompanied us in growing and seeing the world more lovingly. That is why we respectfully carry the altars and spaces for people to heal and connect with their true selves.
Each of us has come to ancestral medicines through different paths and now we have come together to create a sacred and safe space where others can find this connection to Mother Nature, Life, and Consciousness.
To learn a little more about our healers and facilitators, click here.
Our retreat
The medicine: yagé (ayahuasca)
According to the traditional Indigenous worldview, yagé or ayahuasca medicine can bring with it the spirits of the entire universe, plants, animals, trees, and water. It can also connect us with different energy dimensions and heal each one.
Physically, it can transform toxins, diseases, and discomfort, into vitality, well-being, and health. It can connect us with our emotions, freeing us from conflicts and negative thoughts that we have had in the past, transforming them into happiness and harmony with ourselves and all our relationships. It also encourages us to connect with the essence of our spirit and the openness of our hearts to the service of humanity.
This sacred plant can help you gain a deep understanding of your life, open a spiritual awakening, and benefit your physical and mental health.
The ceremony
The ceremony begins with the singing of the taita, who recites the yagé and calls upon the ancestors and elementals of the jungle to accompany him in the healing that is about to begin. It is important to close your eyes to listen and think about the intention you have in your heart for this ceremony.
At the end of the prayer, the men go first, then the women, and receive the bowl of yagé. Everything the taita has served must be taken. Nothing may be left in the bowl, nor may the medicine be thrown on the ground. After taking the medicine, everyone retires to their hammock and rests. At this time it is good to be calm and quiet, to listen to the nature around you, and to think beautiful thoughts, that is, sweet thoughts full of gratitude.
Do not drink water until after vomiting, because water causes vomiting. After vomiting, it is very important to drink water occasionally.
When you feel the power of the medicine coming, all that remains is to observe the sensations, emotions, and visions that come. Stay calm, observe them, and let them follow. Taking yagé is a deep form of meditation. During the ceremony, the taita will sing, play the harmonica, and use the waira to move the energy, summon the vision, and heal the minds and bodies of those around you. Being in the jungle, staying in the designated area is imperative. No one is to leave the place.
Cultivate silence and gratitude during the ceremony. Both are key to a gentle experience for you and those who share the experience with you that day.
ZiruYai has significant experience guiding people of all ages and nationalities through this experience to reap the benefits that can last for a lifetime. We offer reintegration counseling as part of the retreat and coach you through the process from start to finish.
For indigenous cultures, the maloca is a cosmic vessel, a portal, but above all, it is a sacred place. For this reason, there is no talking in the maloca. Nor do they eat or vomit. It is a place for meditation and healing.
If you need to move, please go to a tree and relieve yourself on its foot. Do not vomit on the path or where you or anyone else can step on it. After vomiting, thank the medicine for cleansing and Mother Nature for transforming what is left in it. Return to your hammock, drink some water, and continue your journey.
A safe and professional experience
Ayahuasca has been going through a massive expansion. It should be observed that some share the medicine with the knowledge, the permission of traditional communities, and the studies that are appropriate to administer it to others; but there are also some who unfortunately, while well-intentioned, administer it without the preceding preparation, forgetting or neglecting all of the mystery that has allowed for the profound study of this sacred plant by way of our ancestors. This can be, and has been counterproductive in the processes of those who take the medicine without knowing or understanding how the adequate approach should be. As such, when one decides to take part in ceremonies, it is for this reason and of significant importance to be well-informed about the people who conduct them.
Practical answers
What to expect?
Luxury has many faces. The best known is material, designed to give us a sense of comfort that distances us from nature. Rugs, pillows, air conditioning, and heating are some of its characteristics. There is another type of luxury that not many are aware of, but that we are beginning to appreciate in the face of the deterioration of the planet: the experience of healthy and exuberant nature, with all our senses. Drink pure water directly from the river, share it with trees that have more than a century of life, feel the life that crackles in the mangrove, and find the footprint of a wild jaguar on the road.
This is the luxury we offer in ZiruYai's retreats: a crystalline river that provides us with its water, walks on trails that cross the jungle; taking medicine prepared according to tradition, by the hand of a mind educated to think beautifully, and preparing a luminous and healing yagé; ceremonies in earthen malocas where the songs of the taitas lead us to an intense, deep and healing vision.
Ancestral ceremonies and spiritual connections
8-10 day retreats are common although individual booking can be arranged in advance. At ZiruYai we do not have a rigid schedule, as we like to respect the rhythm of each group and adapt to their approach and enjoyment of the magical experience of being in the jungle, the primordial source of life. Therefore, we are open to reorganizing the ceremonies during the retreat. Most common retreats will include:
Offerings and ceremonies to connect with the territory
3 - 4 Yagé ceremonies
1 Yoco ceremony
Temazcal ceremony
Native Ortiga, stinging nettle treatment
Opportunities for connection, meditation and reflection with allied medicinal plants (Mambe and Ambil and Rapé)
Baths with medicinal plants
Cleansing purges
Interactive words and music circles
Personalized consultation with the Taitas by request
Nighttime bonfires
Lodging
At ZiruYai we take care of nature and our lodges are made of wood, just like in the jungle. Both the materials and the style provide benefits to those who use them: more freshness and insulation from snakes, among other things. Each room has a canopy/mosquito net and a space to organize your belongings.
You can request a private room or a dormitory. Only the price varies. You can share the room with a friend or someone else who wants to share the room.
At Jungle Paradise we have two houses that are shared upon arrival:
House near the river. Three bedrooms. Two showers with hot water, one bathroom for men, one for women. In this house are the main kitchen, the dining room, and the washing machine. This is the house where we can hear the singing of the river and commune with the meditation of the water. In this house, it is possible to access the WIFI for the strictly necessary. Remember that the idea of a retreat is to let go of the nets and look within.
House in the mountain. Three bedrooms. Two bathrooms, one for men, one for women, and a shower. Laundry room and sink. No electricity. This house is closer to the jungle, so it is possible to see birds and small animals.
As we enter the jungle and move away from the last traces of civilization, we arrive at a house that welcomes us all. It is located two hours from the place of arrival (Jungle Paradise) in the jungle, in a natural place called Tigres del Alto, where we could spend 1 - 3 nights.
House in the jungle. Wooden house, simple construction, not luxurious, but with the necessary to be well in the jungle. You can also ask for a single or shared room. There is a shower, kitchen, dining room, and dry toilets.
All the houses have access to the river, so you can swim among rocks and clean water.
In all the houses there are common areas with hammocks for resting.
In the river and mountain house, there are trails to walk and contemplate nature.
In the jungle house, the trail should always be walked in the company of someone from the area.
The Food
The food offered during the retreat follows the lines of the diet that should be followed in preparation for taking yagé (ayahuasca). It is a simple but colorful diet. Typical dishes, with few spices, take care of the detoxification process. Vegetables, tropical fruits, chicken, fish, eggs, yucca, plantains. If you are vegan or vegetarian, please let us know so we can take it into account when organizing the menu.
Most of the food comes from local plantations and the fish comes from the river. All the ingredients we use are healthy. During the trek, we offer muesli, snacks, and cookies. Fruit and aromatic waters are always available.
If you wish, you can bring snacks. Don’t forget to take into account the diet to be followed so that the body and mind are ready for the yagé (ayahuasca).
Group Activities
There are different activities, but they are adapted to the weather and the group process. The activities are optional.
Hike to the Escondida waterfall, on the Alto Vides trail. Walk to see three waterfalls where you can bathe and even swim.
Hike to the natural pools of the Vides River. Wonderful place with calm waters and few rocks to bathe and enjoy the calm that nature offers, after a walk among ancient trees.
Hike to the Charguayaco River and its various natural pools. This is done when we are already at the jungle house. The walk will take about one hour and we will be able to see giant trees as we will be in the heart of the jungle.
Hike to the waterfall of the Charguayaco River. This is a demanding hike that can only be done by people with a high level of physical fitness.
Visit the sugar cane plantation and sugar mill to see the process of making panela.
Fair of indigenous handicrafts. Cofán, Inga and Embera communities bring their handicrafts and offer them.
Visit the conservation project of the animals in the area.
Yoga class. To reconnect to your body through respiration and conscious movements.
Free writing workshop. Simple exercises to connect with the inner voice that suddenly becomes visible through sentences, poems or drawings.
What to pack
To go to the jungle it is better to travel light. Think that you will have to carry the suitcase to get to the jungle house. Three hours uphill. Choose only what is necessary. Do not bring perfume, make-up, hairdryer... Keep your clothes simple, comfortable, and quick-drying, as it is a very humid place and both clothes and shoes may never dry. Do not wear anything that you will later regret if it gets damaged. Avoid jewelry and valuables, such as computers. Below is a list of the must-haves. These should be packed in a backpack. Do not take a rolling suitcase.
Quick-drying pants
Quick-drying T-shirts
Lightweight quick-drying jacket
Jacket for cold nights and rainy days.
Raincoat
Knee-high rubber boots (can be purchased in the village)
Hat or cap
Sleeping bag
Swimming dress
River shoes
Repellent and sunblock
Organic soap
Hammock (can be purchased in the village)
Thermos for water
Small backpack for trekking
I can only recommend this work they are yeah they are true masters of their art.
Just had my um ten day retreat, was an incredible, incredible experience, life-changing experience to be able to sit with ancient wisdom of Yage with them.
Wow what a amazing experience, I came here for healing and learning and that's absolutely what I got, the ceremonies and with the um medicines was uh deeply profound and uh deeply uh deeply healing.
I really great area to be, to be free, to be yourself to learn, to be yourself to learn who you really, are to get in touch with yourself
and how to express yourself in a very very safe environment.
My experience with yage here, is just opening complete new doors of what I thought was possible in terms of healing the body and the mind, I feel these people are actually conducting surgery on your being, you go into space of healing that is a space similar to what we know in the west as as a surgery and this is done with extreme, extreme care to hold you through these processes, they do not touch you or they hold you with sound with their presence and many other things that I don't comprehend.
A lot of strength, a lot of mental strength training and training on resilience understanding more about myself and about what's important in life.
Also working with the taitas is a lot of fun too and I can, I can only recommend this work they are yeah they are true masters of they art.
This is why, I encourage anyone that ever felt the calling or the need to explore themselves to come here have this incredible experience with the Taitas and with the Yage.